40 respectful ways to correct your child’s behaviors

A handy guide to using positive sentences to correct dysregulated actions and behavior in your child 

 
40 respectful ways to correct your child’s behaviors:

1. "No, you can't do that." ->"Let's try something else instead."
2. "You're not listening to me." -> "I need your attention please."
3. "Stop being so difficult." ->"It's okay to be frustrated, let's take a break and calm down."
4. "Why can't you just behave?" -> "I know you can do better, let's work on it together."
5. "You're always making a mess." ->"Let's clean up together."
6. "Don't touch that!" -> "Let's keep our hands to ourselves."
7. "You're being so annoying." -> "Can you please use your inside voice?"
8. "I'm so disappointed in you." -> "I know you can do better, let's work on it together."
9. "You're being lazy." -> "Let's take a break and then try again."
10. "You're wasting my time." -> "Let's use our time wisely and get started on this task."
11. "I can't believe you did that." -> "Let's talk about why we didn't do that and what we can do instead."
12. "You're being a bad kid." -> "I know you're a good kid who sometimes makes mistakes as we all do"
13. "I told you a million times." -> "Let me remind you again so we can work on it together."
14. "You're not good at this." -> "I know this is challenging, let's keep practicing."
15. "You're not being respectful." -> "Let's be kind and respectful to each other."
16. "I don't have time for this." -> "Let's prioritize our tasks and work on this first."
17. "You're being too loud." -> "Let's use our inside voices so we don't disturb others."
18. "Stop whining." -> "Can you please tell me what's bothering you in a calm voice?"
19. "I'm getting angry with you." -> "Let's take a break and talk about how we can solve this problem together."
20. "You're always causing trouble." -> "Let's find a positive way to express our energy."
21. "I don't want to hear it." -> "Let's talk about how we can solve this problem together."
22. "You're not trying hard enough." -> "I know you can do this, let's keep practicing."
23. "You're being a troublemaker." -> "Let's find a positive way to express our energy."
24. "You're not being careful." -> "Let's be more careful and mindful of our actions."
25. "You're being stubborn." -> "Let's work together to find a solution that works for both of us."
26. "You're being selfish." -> "Let's think about how our actions affect others."
27. "You're always interrupting me." -> "Let's take turns speaking so we can both be heard."
28. "You're not behaving properly." -> "Let's talk about what behaviours are expected in this situation."
29. "You're not cooperating." -> "Let's work together as a team to accomplish our task."
30. "You're being mean." -> "Let's be kind to each other and find positive ways to communicate."
31. "You're not following directions." -> "Let's review the directions together and try again."
32. "You're being careless." -> "Let's be more mindful and pay closer attention to what we're doing."
33. "You're being impatient." -> "Let's practice being patient and take our time."
34. "You're not being responsible." -> "Let's take responsibility for our actions and make things right."
35. "You're being too rough." -> "Let's be gentle and respectful to each other and our surroundings."
36. "You're being disrespectful." -> "Let's be kind and respectful to each other."
37. "You're not being honest." -> "Let's be truthful and communicate openly with each other."
38. "You're being careless with your things." -> "Let's take care of our belongings so they last longer."
39. "You're being too sensitive." -> "Let's talk about our feelings and find positive ways to express them."
40. "You're not using your manners." -> "Let's use our manners to show respect to others."